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dweebess87's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.75
nathalyalvarez's review against another edition
3.0
Don't get me wrong, me gustó pero hay algo que no me convence sobre el libro. Tal vez la secuela me convenza un poquito que esté so I'm looking forward to it.
oxlabyrinthxo's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.
This book is one of those stories that changes you after you read it.
The book starts out with a young girl names Liesl who is friends with the Goblin King and as she grows up she forgets about him and her promise to marry him one day. Flash forward to 19 years later and Liesl is a dutiful daughter who has put her dreams aside for her family. She composes music only for her talented younger brother to play, and she dedicates her life to watching over her sister who is devastatingly beautiful and all the things she is not. Now yes there are obviously echos of the plot from Jim Henson's Labyrinth, which only makes me love it all the more.
Like the movie Labyrinth Liesl's sister gets taken by the goblins and she must journey to the Underground to save her, but unlike Sarah, Liesl did not wish her sister away. Käthe instead tastes the forbidden goblin fruit (in a beautiful reference to the poem The Goblin Market) and is trapped in the Underground.
Liesl does save her sister but instead she must remain with the Goblin King as his wife in order to save the world above from eternal winter. The longer she stays with the Goblin King she has come to love, the more of her spirit and life is taken from her. Liesl finds herself slowly wasting away and she must decide what is more important, love or her life.
Over all this novel was fascinating and I would definitely recommend it to all my fellow fantasy lovers. As I said after I finished this book I felt as if it had changed something within me. Similar to when I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I related to the character Liesl so well (as I did with Cath from Fangirl) that it opened old emotional wounds. But that is the great thing about books, you learn and grow from the characters that are so close to you that their stories hurt. I loved this book and desperately hope for a sequel.
This book is one of those stories that changes you after you read it.
The book starts out with a young girl names Liesl who is friends with the Goblin King and as she grows up she forgets about him and her promise to marry him one day. Flash forward to 19 years later and Liesl is a dutiful daughter who has put her dreams aside for her family. She composes music only for her talented younger brother to play, and she dedicates her life to watching over her sister who is devastatingly beautiful and all the things she is not. Now yes there are obviously echos of the plot from Jim Henson's Labyrinth, which only makes me love it all the more.
Like the movie Labyrinth Liesl's sister gets taken by the goblins and she must journey to the Underground to save her, but unlike Sarah, Liesl did not wish her sister away. Käthe instead tastes the forbidden goblin fruit (in a beautiful reference to the poem The Goblin Market) and is trapped in the Underground.
Liesl does save her sister but instead she must remain with the Goblin King as his wife in order to save the world above from eternal winter. The longer she stays with the Goblin King she has come to love, the more of her spirit and life is taken from her. Liesl finds herself slowly wasting away and she must decide what is more important, love or her life.
Over all this novel was fascinating and I would definitely recommend it to all my fellow fantasy lovers. As I said after I finished this book I felt as if it had changed something within me. Similar to when I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I related to the character Liesl so well (as I did with Cath from Fangirl) that it opened old emotional wounds. But that is the great thing about books, you learn and grow from the characters that are so close to you that their stories hurt. I loved this book and desperately hope for a sequel.
silvia_gio's review against another edition
1.0
Terrible. Imagine reading a fantasy instead you find yourself with a/an (awful) Labyrinth fanfiction seasoned with spicy embraces with the king of the goblins on duty. Bad and disappointing, from ALL points of view. Full of references to music, incomprehensible to anyone who has not left the conservatory. Not to mention the nonsense (elves drinking brandy. Seriously?!). Stereotypical characters, straight out of an ordinary Harmony (with all respect for Harmony; at least in that case the reader has exactly what he expects). Rejected (and personally NOT recomended).
mallikadesai's review against another edition
4.0
When I picked this book up, to be honest, I just picked it for its cover - attractive, mysterious, and the first decent book I could get my hands on. As I read this book, I discovered that not only the cover, but the writing was exquisite. Each page made me want to quote it. Here are some of my favorites:
“Love is the bridge that spans the world above and below, and keeps the wheel of life turning.”
“Life,” he said softly, “is more than flesh. Your body is a candle, your soul the flame. The longer I burn the candle...” He did not finish.
“A candle unused is nothing but wax and wick,” I said.“I would rather light the flame, knowing it will go out than sit forever in darkness.”
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/44394042-wintersong
My main reason for reading this book was its beautiful writing, which sounds sappy and was something I've never done, but trust me, its worth it. However the plot line was mystical, dimensional, and dark. The characters were of the likes that I have never heard before, and although I'm not sure I will read the sequel, it is a must read for avid readers. Wintersong "plucked my heartstrings" and I hope it will do the same to you.
By the way, I am not a huge fan of romance books but as I stated above - it is a must read.
“Love is the bridge that spans the world above and below, and keeps the wheel of life turning.”
“Life,” he said softly, “is more than flesh. Your body is a candle, your soul the flame. The longer I burn the candle...” He did not finish.
“A candle unused is nothing but wax and wick,” I said.“I would rather light the flame, knowing it will go out than sit forever in darkness.”
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/44394042-wintersong
My main reason for reading this book was its beautiful writing, which sounds sappy and was something I've never done, but trust me, its worth it. However the plot line was mystical, dimensional, and dark. The characters were of the likes that I have never heard before, and although I'm not sure I will read the sequel, it is a must read for avid readers. Wintersong "plucked my heartstrings" and I hope it will do the same to you.
By the way, I am not a huge fan of romance books but as I stated above - it is a must read.
smithrachaelynn's review
1.0
I just didn’t enjoy reading this at all. I thought about not finishing it a bunch of times. I finished it, but I never got into this book.
noah_the_bookshop_boy's review against another edition
3.0
Musica e magia: questo è il mondo in cui ti perderai
La trama in poche righe
Wintersong ci trasporta in un mondo incantato e oscuro mentre seguiamo le vicende di Liesel, una giovane musicista con una passione incontenibile per la musica e la sua magia. Quando sua sorella Käte viene rapita dal misterioso Re dei Goblin, Liesl si immerge in un viaggio attraverso il sottosuolo per salvarla, incontrando creature magiche e affrontando prove mistiche lungo tutto il suo percorso.
I personaggi
S.Jae-Jones ha creato personaggi complessi: l’evoluzione della protagonista Liesl è convincente, nell’arco della storia passa dall’essere una ragazza insicura a essere una donna forte e determinata. Il Re dei Goblin è inquietante e affascinante allo stesso tempo, ha un’aura enigmatica che aggiunge mistero, quel mistero che lo rende intrigante. In fondo a chi non piacerebbe trovarsi di fronte a un cattivo dai modi misteriosi e affascinanti? In questo romanzo il tema della musica riveste un ruolo fondamentale e diventa quasi un personaggio a sé stante, infatti la trama si sviluppa in gran parte attraverso la connessione di Liesl con la musica.
Lo stile
Lo stile di S. Jae-Jones è ricco e poetico, ho perso il filo del discorso più volte durante la lettura perché mi è sembrato che alcune parti della storia fossero solo delle lungaggini evitabili. L’autrice però ci sa fare e attraverso le parole cattura la magia della musica e del mondo incantato in cui scendiamo insieme ai personaggi. Si dilunga in descrizioni dettagliate che nell’insieme dipingono ambientazioni oscure creando un’atmosfera unica, ma che rischiano di far distrarre il lettore e perdere il pathos della sequenza narrativa: un po’ come se facessimo un viaggio in macchina formato solo da improvvise accelerate e brusche frenate.
Wintersong
Wintersong esplora profondamente il tema della passione, in particolare attraverso i temi della musica e dell’amore, la storia si snoda sulle note suonate da Liesl e il suo legame esclusivo con il Re dei Goblin esplorando la magia intrinseca della musica e come questa possa essere mezzo per esprimere emozioni profonde e connettersi con il soprannaturale. La musica è magia e la narrazione esplora il concetto che le note possono plasmare la realtà, creando un ponte tre il mondo umano e quello fantastico; questo legame profondo tra musica e magia innesca un’atmosfera intensa e coinvolgente che avvolge l’intera storia. La passione di Liesl per quest’arte diventa elemento catalizzatore che apre porte verso mondi nascosti. Il tema della passione artistica viene approfondito attraverso il sacrificio personale della protagonista che decide di affrontare il Re dei Goblin e il mondo del sottosuolo per salvare sua sorella. Questo ci porta inevitabilmente a una riflessione profonda sulla nostra anima e su ciò che siamo disposti a compiere o sacrificare per amore della nostra arte e per coloro che amiamo. Non mancano i colpi di scena che, orchestrati nel modo giusto, contribuiscono a mantenere alto l’interesse del lettore per il romanzo. Il modo in cui si succedono gli eventi, alimentano la suspense e ci spingono a volerci immergere sempre di più, sempre più profondamente nel mondo magico di Wintersong.
Conclusioni
Wintersong è un romanzo che affascina e incanta, un’esperienza letteraria in cui troviamo mescolati elementi fantastici, emotivi, romantici e musicali. La musica che non solo è un accompagnamento alla storia, ma elemento vitale che plasma il destino dei personaggi e dei mondi che li circondano offrendo una prospettiva unica sulla forza dell’arte e della sua capacità di trasformare guidare le vicende. Una lettura che consiglio a chi cerca una storia magica con dei personaggi originali.
La trama in poche righe
Wintersong ci trasporta in un mondo incantato e oscuro mentre seguiamo le vicende di Liesel, una giovane musicista con una passione incontenibile per la musica e la sua magia. Quando sua sorella Käte viene rapita dal misterioso Re dei Goblin, Liesl si immerge in un viaggio attraverso il sottosuolo per salvarla, incontrando creature magiche e affrontando prove mistiche lungo tutto il suo percorso.
I personaggi
S.Jae-Jones ha creato personaggi complessi: l’evoluzione della protagonista Liesl è convincente, nell’arco della storia passa dall’essere una ragazza insicura a essere una donna forte e determinata. Il Re dei Goblin è inquietante e affascinante allo stesso tempo, ha un’aura enigmatica che aggiunge mistero, quel mistero che lo rende intrigante. In fondo a chi non piacerebbe trovarsi di fronte a un cattivo dai modi misteriosi e affascinanti? In questo romanzo il tema della musica riveste un ruolo fondamentale e diventa quasi un personaggio a sé stante, infatti la trama si sviluppa in gran parte attraverso la connessione di Liesl con la musica.
Lo stile
Lo stile di S. Jae-Jones è ricco e poetico, ho perso il filo del discorso più volte durante la lettura perché mi è sembrato che alcune parti della storia fossero solo delle lungaggini evitabili. L’autrice però ci sa fare e attraverso le parole cattura la magia della musica e del mondo incantato in cui scendiamo insieme ai personaggi. Si dilunga in descrizioni dettagliate che nell’insieme dipingono ambientazioni oscure creando un’atmosfera unica, ma che rischiano di far distrarre il lettore e perdere il pathos della sequenza narrativa: un po’ come se facessimo un viaggio in macchina formato solo da improvvise accelerate e brusche frenate.
Wintersong
Wintersong esplora profondamente il tema della passione, in particolare attraverso i temi della musica e dell’amore, la storia si snoda sulle note suonate da Liesl e il suo legame esclusivo con il Re dei Goblin esplorando la magia intrinseca della musica e come questa possa essere mezzo per esprimere emozioni profonde e connettersi con il soprannaturale. La musica è magia e la narrazione esplora il concetto che le note possono plasmare la realtà, creando un ponte tre il mondo umano e quello fantastico; questo legame profondo tra musica e magia innesca un’atmosfera intensa e coinvolgente che avvolge l’intera storia. La passione di Liesl per quest’arte diventa elemento catalizzatore che apre porte verso mondi nascosti. Il tema della passione artistica viene approfondito attraverso il sacrificio personale della protagonista che decide di affrontare il Re dei Goblin e il mondo del sottosuolo per salvare sua sorella. Questo ci porta inevitabilmente a una riflessione profonda sulla nostra anima e su ciò che siamo disposti a compiere o sacrificare per amore della nostra arte e per coloro che amiamo. Non mancano i colpi di scena che, orchestrati nel modo giusto, contribuiscono a mantenere alto l’interesse del lettore per il romanzo. Il modo in cui si succedono gli eventi, alimentano la suspense e ci spingono a volerci immergere sempre di più, sempre più profondamente nel mondo magico di Wintersong.
Conclusioni
Wintersong è un romanzo che affascina e incanta, un’esperienza letteraria in cui troviamo mescolati elementi fantastici, emotivi, romantici e musicali. La musica che non solo è un accompagnamento alla storia, ma elemento vitale che plasma il destino dei personaggi e dei mondi che li circondano offrendo una prospettiva unica sulla forza dell’arte e della sua capacità di trasformare guidare le vicende. Una lettura che consiglio a chi cerca una storia magica con dei personaggi originali.
lady_mel's review against another edition
5.0
Another re-telling of Beauty and The Beast.
Liesel grew up with tales of the Goblin King, and what happened to young girls who became enticed to his underground kingdom.
She found herself trapped in that kingdom herself. She has to find her younger sister, and then both of them has to escape. Only, she didn't plan on falling in love with the Goblin King.
Liesel grew up with tales of the Goblin King, and what happened to young girls who became enticed to his underground kingdom.
She found herself trapped in that kingdom herself. She has to find her younger sister, and then both of them has to escape. Only, she didn't plan on falling in love with the Goblin King.
ec_newman's review against another edition
3.0
This should not be shelved under YA, just a note. It is most definitely in the realm of NA or older, due to content and very much the age of the protagonist and the experiences she goes through.
This is a book I have a hard time knowing exactly what I think of it. In some ways, I did enjoy it. I finished it in three days which is impressive for the way my schedule has been. The world, the magic, the Goblin King, the music (very much a slight Phantom of the Opera vibe here) was all intriguing and new to me for the most part. So that was good.
But there were other things that bugged me. People talk about the beautiful prose, and i'm not sure I completely agree. There was the occasional sentence or paragraph that flowed well, but often it was figurative language that felt disjointed, or forced. Moments that needed to be drawn out were rushed, and stuff I didn't want to belabor on seemed to take forever. There was repetition of thoughts and ideas that had already been established, in the way I notice in my own drafts in the early stages where I forget if I've said that already or not. Like I get that Twig is the nice one. (I'm pretty sure it was said five times separately). The content that makes this not a YA was unnecessary to me. I got the desperation, I didn't need it detailed. Also, the prologue that reads like a fairy tale was lovely, but it gave stuff away about the protagonist's earlier years, and when she was trying to remember it, I was annoyed because I knew it already due to the prologue. Had that not been there, finding out along with her would have been more enjoyable.
So I commend the author on this story because it's definitely interesting, pieces of it fantastical and the lore was inviting. But for me, I won't continue this series. But I might pick up another by the author, in a different setting.
This is a book I have a hard time knowing exactly what I think of it. In some ways, I did enjoy it. I finished it in three days which is impressive for the way my schedule has been. The world, the magic, the Goblin King, the music (very much a slight Phantom of the Opera vibe here) was all intriguing and new to me for the most part. So that was good.
But there were other things that bugged me. People talk about the beautiful prose, and i'm not sure I completely agree. There was the occasional sentence or paragraph that flowed well, but often it was figurative language that felt disjointed, or forced. Moments that needed to be drawn out were rushed, and stuff I didn't want to belabor on seemed to take forever. There was repetition of thoughts and ideas that had already been established, in the way I notice in my own drafts in the early stages where I forget if I've said that already or not. Like I get that Twig is the nice one. (I'm pretty sure it was said five times separately). The content that makes this not a YA was unnecessary to me. I got the desperation, I didn't need it detailed. Also, the prologue that reads like a fairy tale was lovely, but it gave stuff away about the protagonist's earlier years, and when she was trying to remember it, I was annoyed because I knew it already due to the prologue. Had that not been there, finding out along with her would have been more enjoyable.
So I commend the author on this story because it's definitely interesting, pieces of it fantastical and the lore was inviting. But for me, I won't continue this series. But I might pick up another by the author, in a different setting.
annatherbook's review
2.0
“That one,” the merchant said, pointing to Käthe, whose head lolled against my shoulder, “burns like kindling. All flash, and no real heat. But you,” he said. “You smolder, mistress. There is a fire burning within you, but it is a slow burn. It shimmers with heat, waiting only for a breath to fan it to life. Most curious.” A slow grin spread over his mouth. “Most curious, indeed.”
I'm not sure what I think about this book. I'm disappointed and not a little bit confused but I didn't hate it. In fact I enjoyed some of it. I'm confused because I had a problem understanding what happened in some parts of the book. Maybe it's a language thing but big parts simply did not make sense to me. I get that in some folklore tales parts might be weird, eerie or obscure but then you know that its suppose to be that. You're not supposed to be confused about it. I found myself rereading som pages because I thought that I had missed something or that I misinterpreted something but usually rereading the page gave me no answers.
Some parts I really liked and some parts I did not enjoy at all. A lot of mixed feelings about this.
I love settings and stories about folklore but this lacked the feeling that folklore tales usually have. Maybe I'm a critic because I was raised on Swedish folklores about goblins, elves, Skogsfrun, changelings and so on. This book had a lot of promise but I just didn't get it.
What I liked
* I liked the Goblin King, Der Erlkönig. I liked the legend about him and the mystery surrounding him. I would have wanted more of the legend about the mysterious King of the Goblins.
* I liked the German setting. The woods, the Goblin Grove, the inn and the Underground! I would have wanted more of the eerie woods but it was still good!
* A lot of beautiful writing that remind me of legends and myths.
“There is music in your soul. A wild and untamed sort of music that speaks to me. It defies all the rules and laws you humans set upon it. It grows from inside you, and I have a wish to set that music free.”
What I didn't like
* I did not like Liesl as a character. She was being portrayed as the selfless older sister looking out for her siblings (Sepp more than Käthe) but I just found her to be extremely selfish and I had a hard time connecting with her. She constantly referred to herself as ugly, unlovely, unwanted and untalented. It got on my nerves. Especially since she had a lot of musical talent and kept putting herself down. It got really annoying.
* A lot of the characters had too many names!
Our main character Elisabeth was also called Liesl, Katharina the little sister nickname is Käthe and her brother Josef is also called Sepp and Sepperl. The Golin King is also called Der Erlkönig, Lord of Mischief and Liesl had different ways of referring to him as well. It was very confusing in the beginning.
* The way Liesl look at her sister was sometimes disturbing. I think Käthe was over sexualised and mostly in a negative way. And I got the feeling that Liesl resented her sister for being beautiful. I didn't like that being beautiful was what defined Käthes personality. Because she was beautiful she was also reckless, silly and stupid. There were a few small moments that she was given space to be something else but it was not enough.
She fluttered and flirted outrageously, carefully oblivious to the stares she drew like moths to the flame. Both men and women traced the lines of her body, the curve of her cheek, the pout of her lip. Looking at Käthe, it was difficult to forget just how sinful our bodies were, just how prone we were to wickedness
* I don't really know what the story wanted to accomplish. After reading it I felt: What was the point of this?